Today, the House of Representatives passed a tax bill that is a full-fledged attack on the health and well-being of older Americans and their families.

As we’ve discussed, this is all part of the House Republican leadership’s two-step process. Step one is to cut taxes for the wealthy and drive up the deficit by $1.5 trillion. Step two is to use the higher deficit to justify additional future cuts to programs we all depend on, such as Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Older American Act programs, and many others.

The inevitable program cuts that Republican leadership will push for, after they balloon the deficit, will cause lasting harm to seniors today and in the future. Further, the House bill passed today eliminates the medical expense tax deduction that provides tax relief to millions of older adults with high out-of-pocket and long-term care costs and modest incomes.

This bill overwhelmingly benefits the wealthiest Americans and big corporations at the expense of everyone else. We urge the Senate to stop this reckless process and reject any bill that drives up the deficit and takes away health care from older Americans and their families.

FOCUSED ON CLASS MEMBERS WITH CLOSED CLAIMS

When: September 7, 2017

Because of the poor quality of his exams, many people who were examined by Dr. Frank Chen for their Social Security disability or SSI disability claim may now be able to have their disability claim reviewed if they request it. Notices were scheduled to go out on September 25, 2017 to over 4,000 people with closed claims, who may be eligible for some type of relief and will now need to decide whether to elect relief under the settlement. This training gives practical details of who is eligible for relief, what type of relief they are eligible for, and how to obtain relief. The settlement is very complex, and representatives will benefit from learning about the variations in the types of relief, depending on the status of a claim.Read More

On August 14, 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. Today, Social Security continues as a bedrock program that provides millions of older adults with the income they need to meet a basic standard of living and to avoid falling into extreme poverty as they age. Without Social Security, 15.1 million Americans over age 65 would live in poverty. The addition of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as part of the Social Security program has ensured that even more people are protected from the risks of destitution and homelessness if they experience a disability before they reach retirement age, or are not otherwise eligible for significant benefits. Read More

Focused on class members with open claims

When: August 10, 2017

Hart v. Berryhill (Colvin) is a Social Security and SSI disability class action that challenged the Social Security Administration’s continued use of medical reports from Dr. Frank Chen even after he had been disqualified from performing medical examinations for Social Security because of serious deficiencies in his reports. The settlement, which was approved on April 25, 2017, provides an opportunity for new disability determinations for many class members.

The cuts would push already poor families deeper into poverty, force people onto the streets or into institutions, and result in costly administrative burdens for the Social Security Administration (SSA).

“President Trump’s 2018 budget is an attack on the millions of older adults who already live on meager incomes and struggle to pay their rent, buy food, and meet their health needs. The budget imposes massive cuts to Medicaid, Social Security, and other critical programs that many older adults rely on for their health and economic security.”Read More

When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law in 1935, poverty among older Americans stood at more than 50%. Social Security was enacted as a promise to the citizens of this country that, when they could no longer work, they would still be able to meet their basic needs and live a life of dignity and self-sufficiency in retirement.

The program has been incredibly successful at keeping that promise. Today, more than 60 million older adults, disabled workers, and their families depend on Social Security to make ends meet. At a time when pensions are becoming a rarity, and as personal retirement savings lose ground to the cost of living, Social Security has become even more critical to keeping America’s workers and their families from living in poverty. Social Security keeps 22 million people out of poverty each year, and more than 61% of all older SS beneficiaries rely on SS for half or more of their income.

In order to ensure that the program is meeting the growing needs of today’s seniors—as well as future generations—we must make some important changes to the Social Security system. Read More

On March 1, 2017 the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that it would reopen its decisions to deny spousal or survivor’s benefits to individuals who had been married to someone of the same sex, and whose marriage wasn’t recognized because of a discriminatory state or federal ban on marriage.

This ruling and policy applies not only to individuals who were denied benefits after the Supreme Court struck down federal discrimination against same-sex spouses (in United States v. Windsor in 2013) and state discrimination (in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015), but also to individuals who applied for and did not receive benefits before these Supreme Court decisions because of the discriminatory laws in effect at the time they applied.

A new Fact Sheet on this guidance includes more detailed information about who is affected by the new guidance, who isn’t, and what advocates and their clients should do to get their cases reopened.

This fact sheet was authored in collaboration with our partners at SAGE, Lambda Legal, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

Millions of seniors and people with disabilities rely on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to make ends meet. There are people relying on SSI to survive in every community in the country. The majority of SSI recipients are women, and the program is especially beneficial for people of color and people with limited English proficiency. It’s also an essential safety net for older adults who do not receive sufficient Social Security income because they worked in low-wage or seasonal jobs, or stayed home from work to care for family members.

With leaders in Congress intent on cutting safety net benefits, it’s critical that advocates proactively educate lawmakers, the media, and fellow advocates about the important role SSI plays in ensuring that some of the most vulnerable people in our communities can meet their basic needs for shelter, food, and other necessities.

Please use this new Justice in Aging SSI fact sheet that shows who relies on SSI, why it’s important, and the dangers cuts to the program would pose for low-income families and communities.

If you would like us to insert statistics specific to your state and/or congressional district please email us for assistance.

Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX) just introduced a bill that would cut social security benefits to most older adults. Roughly 70% of beneficiaries would see cuts under the plan. The bill, the so-called “Social Security Reform Act of 2016,” proposes a varied menu of ways to cut benefits. Read More

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JUSTICE IN AGING IS

the opportunity to live with dignity, regardless of financial circumstances—free from the worry, harm, and injustice caused by lack of health care, food, or a safe place to sleep. By using the power of law to strengthen the social safety net, and remove the barriers low-income seniors face in trying to access the services they need, we work to ensure the future we all envision for our loved ones and ourselves.